A Conversation About Discourse: Let's Have One

After reading the many heated comments on both the Metroid: The Other M Review and the Talkabout for the same game over the weekend, it seems clear that we should all have a quick conversation about appropriate discourse on G4tv.com. We have a few simple rules, designed to make the site an awesome place to celebrate and discuss games, the people that make them and (most importantly) the people that play them (that's you and me). As always, reviews are intended as guides for your video game purchases, and after reading one, you should be better informed as to whether or not you want to pick up the game. Sometimes you'll disagree with our reviewer. That's ok. Read several reviews. Talk to your friends. Make your own decisions and opinions and feel free to share them.

We knew the Metroid review would be a hot topic, and everyone is welcome to and strongly encouraged to have their own opinion (though how someone can complain about a review score for an unreleased game that very few of you could have possibly played is beyond us), but the amount of mean-spirited, hateful commentary offended me as a human being. So here's the deal:

Don't be an asshole. Seems simple, but behind the anonymity of the internet, folks just seem to forget how to be decent.

Don't bash or flame the editors or each other. There is zero tolerance for hate speech. Think before you speak or be banned.

Understand and appreciate that different people have different opinions, and that's totally ok. If you're looking for a games site that you agree with 100% of the time, G4tv.com is probably not the place for you. We have many very talented editors and hosts that come from a variety of backgrounds. Their (and your) varied opinions are something we want to celebrate here.

Don't be an asshole. It's worth saying again.

We're going to go through and clean up the comments on the Metroid: The Other M Review and Talkabouts post. I apologize to anyone offended or embarrassed by the user commentary on those pages. Sometimes people suck.

I look forward to discussing this further with you all in the comments below. You can also email me directly at webmaster@g4tv.com.